ENERGY VIEWPOINT: National energy company can give Scotland the power framework it needs
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At its recent conference the Scottish National Party debated and backed overwhelmingly the case for a Scottish National Energy Company (SNEC).
The SNP government and its Green Party allies have pledged to decarbonise our society at all levels in line with our international responsibilities ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this November.
Accelerated decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and usage sits well, with 100 per cent delivery of clean electricity from our onshore and offshore wind plus tidal, hydro and solar PV.
Such a SNEC must learn from the state-owned power companies of Norway, Denmark, France and the lander of Germany but pick a model to suit Scotland’s needs.
The conference noted with concern that UK energy policy has held back our local and national Scottish targets. It has slashed support for local, clean energy production, such as run-of-river hydro, small wind and solar PV, and delayed large-scale wind and tidal developments even though component costs for clean power are far below expected levels estimated five years ago.
Producer surcharges designed for south-east English needs, and demanded by Tory MPs there, embed a crucial price disadvantage, worst for northern Scotland, where the best power sources are to be found. This penalises both development and consumption in our fragile Scottish islands and remote Highland communities.
The Brexit effect on Westminster energy policy boosts Westminster’s obsession with new nuclear, be it large-scale fission at Hinkley Point or proposed fusion trials which rely on old technology with legacies of intractable spent nuclear fuels.
Boris Johnson’s government has made cash promises to former nuclear communities to develop the fusion delusion. All this because he wants to ape the European Energy Authority in his prospectus for global Britain.
In effect the Tories prey on vulnerable communities around Dounreay and Chapelcross. Just like Aberdeen, our oil capital, Caithness and Dumfries-shire require a planned just transition.
Recently, Dick Winchester, a well-known Scottish energy commentator summed this up: “The UK government obliterated Scotland’s embryonic wind turbine industry when it privatised electricity and by killing off the British National Oil corporation took away the advantage Norway now has with Statoil/Equinor. Now the Tories forced Brexit on us. The Union is nothing but an industrial and economic wrecking ball.”
The creation of a Scottish National Energy Company can set the standard for Scottish clean power production that prioritises made-in-Scotland electricity, air source heat pumps and hydrogen equipment such as electrolysers and fuel cells which are already in use but are all imported.
What is the point of having electric cars if they are actually powered by nuclear or gas burned to make electricity?
The result of Margaret Thatcher’s energy privatisation in the 1980s has transformed the Hydro Board and South of Scotland Electricity Board into Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Power respectively. They may be leading developers of onshore and offshore wind but along with other members of the big six power companies they offer consumers the poorest service as measured by the Consumers Association magazine, Which.
More research shows that to reach “net zero” most Scottish homes and businesses will need to replace gas heating systems with a renewable source of heating if Scotland is to meet its climate change commitments. That makes the task of a SNEC more extensive still.
For example, introducing or increasing non-repayable grants to encourage people to retrofit insulation and heating systems in homes are essential to help meet Scotland’s aspiration to reach “net-zero”.
The SNEC, when established, should set as a priority the implementation of delivery of affordable energy to consumers of limited means who are most affected by high energy prices and prices must be equal across all of Scotland.
There are a multitude of questions to be answered. Can we do the groundwork now, before Scotland can gain full powers over electricity production and supply? Can privatised electricity and gas companies be encouraged, or taxed, to ensure they meet the needs of our people who increasingly face critical climate conditions, diminished service provision and seek a better future for Scotland than the system designed for elsewhere?
Certainly the ambitions of the SNP and Scottish Green Party pact in Holyrood take aim at these issues. But the Scottish Government will have to plan carefully to unchain Scotland’s energy potential from the contradictory UK policies that control it today and have lined shareholders pockets at the expense of high tariffs for hard pressed consumers and developers.
Sourcing personnel and materials as close to the projects around Scotland and her shores as possible is a no brainer. Ask the Danes, or Norwegians, do they seek local labour and supplies as a top priority?
The substance of the SNP conference debate is a challenge to the opposition parties in Scotland. It was passed by delegates overwhelmingly. Will the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems even notice?
- robgibson273@btinternet.com
